Dark Angel
by Sleeping angel 2006
Summary: After years of living in darkness Zacharias De la Cruz knows he no longer has the ability to chose the morning light only a miracle could save his soul or the lives of mortals.
1. Chapter 1

All the characters appearing in Dark Series belong to Christine Feehan and is copyrighted.  
No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder.  
All original characters are the property of Sleeping Angel

Please review first story! I only used escaflowne because it gave me a few ideas for the race, not actually a crossover. The song can be found on YouTube at this address /watch?v2HoyAZqXPCQ

An ancient sat huddled in the center of the village's children along with a few of their parents and older villagers who always loved hearing the elder's stories when she passed through their village. It had been a century since some had last seen her.

Being unable to see all of their faces in the faint evening glow, the Ancient coughed loudly to capture everyone's attention.

_"Listen closely my children to the tale of two majestic tribes and how each came to be. It was during the time when shape-shifters and angels still roamed the earth without restraint."_

She paused for effect, knowing that many of the adults drifting into the circle were hearing the story of their beginning for the first time.

_"After viewing a Dragon from a great distance, an Angel sat on a mountaintop for days, waiting to get a glimpse of the magnificent creature again. During the Angel's revelry of the Dragon's beauty and power, it failed to discern one of the many beasts that roamed the land. The Angel was brutally attacked without warning. _

_The Dragon, overhearing the Angel's cries of pain, swooped down upon the beast, killing it instantly. Alas, the angel lay dying in a pool of its own blood. The mighty dragon instinctively drew one of its long nails across its foreleg and blood spewed out of the opening. Dripping the bright red liquid into the angel's mouth for an endless amount of time, the Dragon finally realized that its efforts were futile. It flew over the land, carrying the lifeless body to a village on the outskirts of the forest. Lying the angel down gently in the middle of a crowd the Dragon backed away slowly, bowing to the Angel._

_The villagers knew how Angel's loved the earth and carried it to the outskirts of their homes where the soil was soft and white. They formed a circle and pulled the soil back with their bare hands, forming a pit deep enough to encase the angel's body. With bruised and bloodied hands they lowered the blood soaked body gently into the silky earth. The Dragon and Villager's blood pooled swiftly with the Angel's pure blood and spread quickly to stain the earth for miles around. From that very soil, during the full moon, the first Karpatii was born. The Karpatii felt the first stirrings of life when the soft rays of moonlight spread across him and forever took to loving the night. For generations to come the Karpatii would gain many aspects of the dragon's noble personality. They would inherit the Dragon's prolonged existence, powers over the elements and would be able to control the minds of weaker individuals. The one trait that was both redeeming and condemning at the same time was the inability to love more than one person for a lifetime. The need for their soul mate left the Karpatii in great danger of extinction."_

_"Thus...," the ancient one continued, "with the first rays of light, our people, the Escaflowne were born."_

She waited quietly, absorbing the faces of the little ones clustered near her.

As the Ancient's teachings slowly sank into their hungry and eager psyche, the children realized she was talking about their own families. They gave a gleeful cry and turned to see if everyone else had grasped her meaning. Later, they would relate the ancient one's teachings of their miraculous beginnings to anyone who would listen.

_Coughing once again to regain their attention, she said, "The Escaflowne takes on the aspects of the angel's peaceful personality, but compared to the Karpatii, we only have a butterfly's lifespan. With that, we were given the gift to enjoy all that life could give us, the sun and the moon. To a few, the gift of angel's wings and the ability to bring life back by traveling down the'tree of life' was given. As a result of the human blood being mixed into the soil, the power was given sparingly_."

As Serenity slowly awakes, she perceives a haunting melody in the distance...

_Win dain a lotica  
En vai tu ri  
Si lo ta  
Fin dein a loluca  
en dragu a sei lain  
Vi fa-ru les shutai am  
Enriga-lint_

_Win chent a loticaEn vai turi  
Silota  
Fin dein a loluca  
si katigrua neuver  
Floreria for chesti  
Si entina_

Within minutes, the incessant Beep…Beep…Beeping… of her alarm clock twisted her insides into a jumbled mess.

"Awwww Crap! Seven already?" she complained, while flipping her tawny blonde hair and pounced wildly on the annoying clock. "What is it with these strange dreams? I _really_ don't have time for the aggravation!"

Serenity's emancipation hearing, school exams and final auditions for the ballet solo were all scheduled for that day. She fell back on her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

Simultaneously, the doorbell rang and she jumped as though she had been shot!

"Who the hell would _dare_ show up here so early on a school day?"

"Who is it?!" she shouted into the speaker by the door.

"Serenity, Julie Adams here. May I come up? I have something very important to discuss with you." The grating whine of her new Case Worker came through loud and clear.

"Uh, sure…" Serenity mumbled as she pushed the button for the front gate.

_"Great! Now I'll be late for school for sure!_"

Ms. Adams ran for the clicking gate and walked up a flight of stairs to Serenity's apartment. She walked straight in and plopped her things onto the only furniture available in Serenity's studio apartment, the bed. The room was void of decoration except for a cross hanging from a chain, draped on the apartment's doorknob.

"I need to talk to you about your hearing this afternoon ..."Julie began.

"Yeah, I figured that" Serenity grumbled while staring into her barren refrigerator.

"Well, I personally don't think you should go through with it because..." Julie began again.

"Why the hell not?" She twirled around belligerently to face the irritating woman.

"You know what I've been through…, going from one foster home to another after the people who found _and_ adopted me died! I don't think I need to remind you of the humiliation I've gone through with all of those money hungry families that the courts put me with!" Serenity declared her disgust while giving Julie a look of defiance.

"Settle down sweetie. It's _because _of what happened to your most recent, foster family and you pushing for this emancipation, that people are starting to question whether you did killed them or not!"

"What?" Serenity whispered while sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

"Yes well," Julie continues" I'm not supposed to be repeating this to you but the Agency was already wondering how it was possible that your _entire _family was so brutally murdered and you were able to survive without a scratch."

"I told everyone what happened!" she stormed out as her fury returned, "And, they weren't my family!

"And that is just 'One More Thing' that is going to go against you at the hearing. They are worried about your anger management issues and fear for your sanity. Of course I know what you've endured and evidently it has been traumatic to you, but you can't just let you imagination run wild. No one is going to believe a vampire attacked everyone in that house ..." She started laughing coolly, "except you, even if there was such a thing as Vampires! So we are going to the police department this morning and you are going to tell them exactly what happened at ..."

"I want to talk to Mary Ann…" Serenity uttered almost inaudibly.

"What?"

"I want to talk to Mary Ann Delaney. She was my counselor before you." Serenity stood up and walked to the door.

"But…, Ms. Delaney moved out of the states. She's in Europe or, or…Bolivia somewhere!"

"I know, but I will not talk to anyone else until I have a chance to talk to her. Now if you will excuse me, I have to dress for school.. "

She opened the door widely. "As always, it's been wonderful talking to you."

The door slammed to with a resounding 'Bang' and came within inches of smacking Ms. Adams amply endowed derrière.


	2. Chapter 2

Serenity dressed hurriedly and grabbed her silver cross. She kissed the cross gently and as she placed it around her neck, the choker clasped together as though it had a mind of its own. She smiled slightly and flew down the stairs. As she reached the bottom landing her foot hit something solid and she abruptly ate concrete.

"Unbelievable!" she grumbled looking down at her torn jeans "My last good pair."

She pushed the button repeatedly on the gate but only a fading buzz came from the box. At that moment the bus pulled up to the corner.

'_Oh No…the school is five miles from here!' _she thought as she frantically slammed the button again for good measure. The gate swung open and she stood staring at it angrily as the bus pulled away. Taking off in a dead run, she raced behind the bus for a good ways, trying to flag the driver down with no luck.

At length, Serenity bent over, grabbed her legs and screamed at the top of her lungs while watching the bus round the next corner. "Fricken' Moron…Fricken' idiot bus driver!!"

"Miss Mathews?" a shrill male voice expressed concern.

"What!?" She turned to face the little man. The concern in his voice was not reflected in his expression. "Let me just warn you now... if you're going to give me more bad news, I swear I'll rip your face off!"

"No…, _uh_ _No!_ I just have some questions to ask about what happened to your family last week." He walked around her cautiously, attempting to furtively examine her neck." If you will come with me…" He gestured back toward the direction he had appeared from.

"No thank you! I'm not in the mood for any more people ridiculing me and calling me crazy because of what I saw."

She turned back to go back inside and all the while her mind was moving at break neck speed. '_Might as well get my umbrella if I'm going to walk to school. Better yet, I could get some extra hours in at work. At least I can get something to eat at either place.' _

Working as a waitress wasn't the best of jobs but the manager always looked out for her and gave her a free, warm meal after the cafe closed.

She had already forgotten about the annoying little creature but he hastily jumped in front of her, gazing into her face with such intensity that she became flustered. She couldn't quite place where she had seen an expression like the one frozen on his face but it was lodged somewhere deep in her memory.

"But, that's just it. My firm _and_ I believe you. We would like to know exactly what happened and how you were able to survive."

Serenity grabbed him by the collar to shove him aside but before she could utter a word, a grumbling rolled deep in the pit of her stomach. She grabbed herself and apologized, even though she could have cared less what he thought. "Wow! Sorry, I haven't eaten in awhile…shit, would you just get out of my way?" she said after turning a deep shade of red.

"I know! Let me buy your breakfast…lunch…, whatever you want. There's a diner on the next block. It's on me. Just tell me your story." His smile reminded her of a shark, just before its kill, but she was so hungry.

"What's your name?"

"Jeremy…Jeremy Brine."

"Okay _Brine_, but you'd better make it quick. I have a lot of things to do today and there are _not_ enough hours in the day to do them all as it is!

After being seated at the back of the diner like Brine requested, Serenity realized she was going to have to relive what happened to her foster family after trying so hard to block to block them out. She had out all of those dark memories into a mental box and closed the lid tightly.

She quickly scanned the menu and gave the waitress her order, 'everything but the kitchen sink', while watching her new _food_ benefactor out of the corner of her eye. He was setting up a tape recorder and finally, took out a pen and paper. He set back against the seat and stared at her expectantly.

When she didn't say anything he spoke up. "So, Miss Mathews…, may I call you Serenity?"

"Miss Mathews will do."

"Uh, yes, Miss Mathews. I thought maybe we could get started with the interview while we wait for your food to arrive. If you would like to begin…" he turned on the recorder and she watched as the green light flashed repeatedly on the machine.

Serenity tugged at her waist length hair that was pinned under her backside. She pulled it over her shoulder and fiddled with it absentmindedly. "Umm, okay, but I'm not really sure where to begin."

"Just start from the beginning. Tell me anything that might have seemed odd leading up to the incident that night." He sighed, almost breathlessly, as he held the microphone to her full pouting lips.

"Okay…, here goes." she exhaled heavily. "It had been an ordinary day. I got home from school and did my chores _and James', my foster brother_. Later, while I was doing my homework, I got this urge to run outside, almost like I was claustrophobic or something. I went downstairs and looked out the back door. It was raining pretty hard so I decided not to go out but the feeling kept getting stronger and my head started hurting. About ten or fifteen minutes later, my head stopped hurting suddenly and the door rang. I jumped out of my skin. It made me really uneasy and I stood in the shadows at the top of the stairs, listening to them. I overheard my foster mom say hello and she invited them in like it was an old friend, so I went back to do my homework ..."

Serenity stopped as she remembered the blood curdling scream that came next. She knew…no she _felt_ the monster when it attacked.

"And then what…?" Jeremy was breathing rapidly, pupils dilated.

She ignored his reactions and continued. "I heard her scream and heard a lot of scuffling around. Most likely it was her husband and the other kids going to see what was happening and then there was more screaming..." she remembered not being able to move as terror paralyzed her. "…then I heard someone running up the stairs. I ran to my closet and shut the panels. Then, James ran into my room. He had blood all over him and he was white as a sheet. I remember how much I hated him right then. I thought he had killed his own family. For a minute I stopped being afraid. I almost ran out of the closet. I wanted to knock him senseless …" her voice trailed off quietly before she could finish what she was saying.

"Did James have violent tendencies?" Jeremy asked, all the while scribbling things into his notebook, even as the recorder continued to flash its little green light.

"Yes, he was a bully and I could never stand him. The way he treated me and others was unbelievable, but what happened to him next…I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. When he ran into the room he stopped in front of my closet door and reached for the knob, but the ..."thing" came in right behind him. There wasn't a sound before it came in and that house creaked every time someone took a step. When it came up behind James, it turned him around tore half his neck out with it's teeth and just dropped him to the floor...he was still alive I think...staring at me through the slats and blood gushing from his mouth and neck. He needed my help but…but I couldn't move..."

Jeremy raised his eyebrows "So he could actually see you in the closet?"

"Yes, it was just a folding panel doors made out of wooden slats"

"So did _'It'_ see you?" he said excitedly, almost toppling the small, round, wooden table as he leaned on it heavily.

Serenity continued. "It turned and pushed the door open roughly..."

She stared at Bline with the frail look of a frightened child. "When you were small, did you ever close your eyes and hope that if you couldn't see something scary _under your bed or in your closet_ that it wouldn't see you? Well, I was totally doing that. I closed my eyes and willed it not to see me or to sense that I was there. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes." Chills ran down her spine as she remembered what the hideous monster looked like. "I thought at first it was looking at me, but I realized it was actually looking through me. It looked in the closet a few times like it knew I was in there but for some reason it couldn't see me. Finally, it just dissolved into a thick grey vapor and disappeared. I didn't move from that closet until the police came and pulled me out, kicking and screaming over the top of James' body."

Serenity stared down at the plate of food that had turned cold and realized she was no longer hungry.

Jeremy watched intently as she fiddled with a delicate silver cross around her neck.

"Have you always worn a cross?"

"No." she sighed heavily. "I've never been very religious, I guess with the type of life I've had, there's been little time for religion. I find it hard to believe that there is someone up there watching over me. I started wearing one right before the Darvin's…" She stopped without finishing her sentence.

"A really good friend gave it to me. She lives in another country now. I'm hoping to see her again soon. The necklace is a special gift and I rarely take it off."

"Let's talk about you." He nodded at her plate, "May I?"

Her brows furrowed together. "Be my guest!"

Brine took her plate and devoured the food with a few healthy bites. She made a mental note that he actually seemed excited or maybe he was just agitated after listening to the bloody details of the Darvin's death.

He pushed the empty plate back and wiped at his mouth. "Do you remember anything about your real parents?"

"No, I was told my mother abandoned me when I was 3 or 4 years old and my first adoptive parents, Don and Lisa Mathews found me while they were on vacation in Colorado."

"Oh, so your parents didn't drop you off with anyone?"

She shook her head from side to side slowly, while staring into space.

"Where did the Mathews find you?"

"They said they found me in a beautiful meadow in _Last Dollar Pass_ near Telluride. My mom, Lisa, said it was so peaceful and I was so calm when they found me that once they were able to adopt me, they christened me with the name, Serenity..."

She laughed a little to herself. "...Not sure if that really goes with my personality now though."

"What happened to the Mathews?"

"They were a much older couple. They had a lot of trouble adopting me because of their age. When I was nine my mom died. She had a really bad bout with the flu and Don, my dad was already sick with something. Lisa had been taking care of him and I both so after she died his family put him in a home and had the state take me."

Her feelings of bitterness were too sensitive to think about for very long.

"Don's relatives weren't really nice people. They wouldn't take me in after Lisa's death. I overheard a conversation after Lisa's funeral about how they were afraid I would inherit the Mathew's money and everything else if they weren't careful. They told me that I wasn't really part of the family so I belonged in an institution for children like myself so I have been shuffled about in the system ever since."

"I found out recently that the last laugh is on the family though. Since the Mathews legally adopted me and had no children of their own, I inherited everything. It was put into a trust for me and as soon as I turn eighteen I am suppose to receive the inheritance. The court has been dragging their feet though and I just found out recently so I rented my little apartment with the only place that didn't care about my age so I wouldn't have to live with another foster family. It's only a few months till I'm eighteen anyway. I'm trying to get the court to let me live on my own now and it will be easier once I get the inheritance to live on. I'll probably sell the house though. I don't think I can bear living there with all of the memories. I have so much going on here…which reminds me, I'm late for _everything_!"

_Where has the time gone I can maybe catch a bus and check on the court hearing or I could just stay in the area since the dance studio is near there?_

Brine cleared his throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just have so many things on my mind today."

She watched as he started scribbling in his notepad again.

She managed an awkward goodbye with Jeremy Brines as he attempted to pry even more information from her.

"Look, I can't believe I told you what I told you! Now I really have to go." She ran to the street in time to catch the next bus that stopped.

...

When Serenity entered the courthouse, the secretary at the main table looked up in surprise. "Serenity what brings you here?" She had known Mrs. Karine for quite a long time; she was a frequent visitor to the cafe Serenity worked at.

"Good news, my hearing is this afternoon..."

"Oh no… "Mrs. Karine looked puzzled."Mrs. Adams canceled your hearing for this afternoon."

"I'm sorry…I don't think I caught that..." Serenity said unable to think straight.

"Mrs. Adams canceled your hearing early this morning when I first came in. She said they were reevaluating your files and had to postpone the hearing."

"Th...Thank you" Serenity said, backing away. Her mind had gone blank.

"No problem sweetheart." Mrs. Karine said, already turning back to her computer.

...

Walking past the lady in the first lobby, Serenity pushed open the door to Mrs. Adams office with a bang.

"How Dare YOU!" Serenity screamed as she placed her hands on her hips and stood in front of the woman's desk.

"I take it you've been by the courtroom." Mrs. Adams says calmly

"YES! What gives you the right to cancel it without even telling me?"

"Young lady you need to realize that I am your case worker. I can decide whatever I think is best for you _without_ your approval. I'm afraid you've been given too much leeway up until now and that's going to stop now that I've taken over your case." She said angrily while walking to the file cabinet. "Sit down and stop throwing tantrums. Since you're here I'll tell you some other news I have for you."

Feeling like there was no other alternative at the moment, Serenity sat down in a chair in the corner.

Mrs. Adams went back to her chair looking please with herself that Serenity did as she was told for a change. "I got a hold of Mary Ann. She is living in Brazil now..." she deliberately stalled, letting Serenity take in the information. Letting her think she would not be able to talk to her as she had demanded. She sighed, "But you are lucky. It sounds like she has married into money and will be taking a jet to the states. She will be in tonight so you can talk to her in the morning."

Serenity didn't reply. She sat calmly waiting to see if Mrs. Adams had anything to spring on her.

"You don't seem very pleased...you should realize that she is doing more than an _'ex'_ case-worker should ever be expected to do to make a spoiled person, such as yourself happy. She is going out of her way to come here you know!"

"I am happy! Very happy actually. It just seems odd... Mary Ann wasn't even dating anyone before she left for Christmas and she hasn't been gone all that long to have already fallen in love and married the guy. She only left to counsel some girl for a friend." Serenity said distractedly while staring at her hands.

"Well I'm sure she wouldn't have disclosed all of her personal life to you…and even if she didn't have a significant other she did a smart thing in my opinion. It sounds like she is set for life." she sighed wistfully, "She'll never have to worry about money again so just go about the rest of your day and we will come by your apartment in the morning."

"Oh, Mary Ann can come alone. We don't need you there." Serenity walked out happily as Mrs. Adams fumed.


	3. Chapter 3

The chapter has been updated with a few changes and I wanted to thank MaggieKat for all her help with information about the Malinov brothers.

Serenity's dance audition had gone well but her feet throbbed painfully with every step. As she ascended the dimly lit and deserted cobblestone street, she felt elated with a sense of accomplishment even though every muscle in her body ached.

For once, she didn't mind the misting rain. Once she reached the top of the steep incline, Serenity walked a short way across the grassy knoll and relaxed on a covered bench. Even though the fine haze was looking more and more like fog, she could still see faint lights around the city. From her vantage point the lights resembled a sea of twinkling jewels. She came to the little park as often as she could just to sit and think about her day. Even though she was aware that evil lurked around every forbidden corner Serenity did not let the knowledge stop her from doing as she pleased. Always indoors no longer meant safety to her so what was the difference of being outside.

She wanted…no, she _needed _her peaceful sanctuary more than ever. It was crucial that she be capable of focusing on the difficult days that lay ahead.

Leaning back against the bench, she drifted into a light sleep…the peaceful rustling of leaves as the rain fell softly mesmerized her and as she fell deeper into a dream state she heard familiar voices.

_"Don, we need to go. Grab Reni's things!" Lisa commanded her husband as she rushed into their daughter's hospital room. Grabbing her purse, she moved swiftly, unhooking the IV and wires connected to Serenity's tiny body._

_"Mommy, what's wrong...why are you shaking?" Serenity felt the tubes being removed and winced as the IV came out quickly but she didn't make a sound. Rubbing her sleep filled eyes, she tried to wake up. _

_Her father stared at Lisa with furrowed brow, expecting an explanation but received none. He knew at times like these that it was better not to antagonize his wife with questions. It was better if he just did what she wanted and asks questions later._

_Lisa sent a warning glance at him and shook her head as she picked up their precious Reni. _

_She spoke quietly to Serenity. "Everything's okay honey. I just realized that the hospital isn't the place for you right now and we're taking you home. How would you like Mommy to make some of your favorite cookies?"_

"_Yes please!" Serenity smiled brightly._

_"There's my sweet girl…but, there is only one way to get those cookies. I'm going to put Daddy's jacket over you and you can't move or say anything until we get in the car. Can you do that?"_

_"Yep!" She grinned and drew her fingers across her lips as though she were closing a zipper._

_"Alright then…let's go!" _

_Lisa peeked out of the doorway and looked up and down the hallway while Don followed close behind wearing a perplexed frown on his face._

Serenity woke abruptly from her dream as a damp coldness enveloped her body but somehow she still felt warm with a weird tingling sensation radiating through her body. _Great I must already be getting sick._

She thought about the dream she had been having before being woken up from either the cold or from the uneasy feeling she was having. She had never really given much thought to her stay at the hospital when she was little. The only thing that stood out in her mind was the anticipation of getting her favorite cookies. She had been too young to really care about anything else. Now she remembered what had happened before and immediately after her visit. She had been very weak and no matter what they did, her health continued to spiral downward.

Early one morning Lisa and Don had their doctor admit her into the hospital for tests. The doctor found what appeared to be a severe case of anemia and seemed to think that a simple blood transfusion would take care of the problem. Before releasing Serenity, he decided to take a few more blood samples and run more tests later that evening just to be on the safe side.

Lisa had been a nurse when she was younger and stuck closely to the doctor and nurses to see for herself that everything was going well. That afternoon she came back to Serenity's room visibly shaken, demanding that they take Serenity home.

Once they arrived home, Lisa kept her promise and made Serenity's favorite cookies. While waiting for the cookies to bake, Don and Lisa talked quietly but there was an air of anxiety in the cozy little home. The next day, Serenity's parents told her that they were moving to Seattle where her health would get much better. Before moving, they changed their last name to Mathews. Lisa sat her down and explained that they were going to play a game and she was never to tell anyone what her name had been before Mathews.

Serenity's insides quivered at the sound of a deep male voice. "You are going to catch your death of cold staying out in this weather, little one…if something else does not catch you first."

Jumping almost a foot, Serenity stood up and backed away from the man towering above her. She couldn't help wondering how long he had been standing there. Had he been watching her the entire time she was dozing? He had the look of a predator, dangerous and ready to pounce at any moment. She forced herself to look up his well built body and into his emotionless face and cold black eyes. His black hair was longer than most guys wore it and blew softly in the wind.

Running was at the top of her list of things to do at that moment but she sensed it would be much like a mouse trying to run from a large cat that wanted to toy with it.

"Please, forgive me Shiya. I did not mean to scare you. Let me introduce myself, my name is Ruslan Malinov". He bent over in an exaggerated, old world bow, like something she had seen in an old movie.

"_Shiya?" _She tested the name on her lips and from deep inside she could almost hear someone saying it softly.

"Uh nope, that's not me! I'm sure of it so, you must be mistaken!"Serenity says nervously.

"My dear Shiya, I am never mistaken. That was your birth name. I remember the day you were born. They said they named you Shiya Paridisa, 'Light of Paradise'. Your father said many things about you, including your likeness to your mother with her flaxen hair and…."

"You got all that because I have blonde hair?" Serenity almost laughed but deep down she wanted to believe this strange man. 'If only he knew her real parents…but she didn't want to get her hopes up.'

Ruslan shook his head solemnly. "No, of course not just your hair. You also have your mother's unique eyes…blue and gold. Her eyes reminded me of the early morning sky."

He stopped talking and looked at her for a few moments, "When I look at you I also see your aunt… so many of her features. You have your mother's colors but you are the image of your aunt when she was your age."

"So…were you a close family friend or what? How did you know them so well?"

Doubt still held her in its grip but if hope was a living thing it was now buzzing through Serenity's entire body.

"I am your father's oldest brother."

"Okay so..._assuming_ that you are telling the truth and I'm definitely not sold on that idea…if I had an aunt and an uncle…why was I abandoned? I was left alone in this world instead of being raised by my own family!"

Serenity had always made excuses for her mother leaving her. Maybe she had no one, no family to turn to for help. Now, to hear from a total stranger that she had a family and they had done nothing to help her mother; to keep her from leaving her child in the mountains alone. Vicious demons rose from her very soul and she felt the need to strike at this beast standing in front of her, proclaiming to be her uncle. Someone needed to pay for the sadness and difficulty she had known in her life.

"Your father, Vadim, passed away in a..., an accident while they were visiting here. Your mother became ill and tried to come back to meet me in California but…she did not make it. By the time I made it to where she had last been seen, I was unable to find you."

"And where was that place? And where were they visiting 'from'?"

"The last time I spoke with her, she said that she was making her way across Colorado. I never heard from her again and never knew the exact location of her death. Our home was in Japan at your birth but we traveled extensively through Asia before your birth."

As Ruslan spoke, the alarm went off on Serenity's watch, alerting her that it was now 5:30 in the morning and time for her to _get up_.

Ruslan looked at the sky with a trace of anxiety on his face. "I am afraid I will have to cut this short little one. The night has escaped me and I must leave." Ruslan turned away quickly…his coat billowed in swirls around his body and Ruslan began walking away in broad strides.

"But…no, wait! I need to know more! Besides, we don't even look Asian..." Serenity said frantically, trying to keep up with him.

Without looking back he replied, "Our family came from Romania. Do not worry, we will talk again, I will find you but now I must take care of a few urgent matters."

As Ruslan moved effortlessly down the steep hill, he seemed to disappear into the thin air.

She stood staring at the spot she had last seen him, hoping he would reappear as magically as he had disappeared. She shivered and thought to herself_, 'Scary man…! I don't think he ever blinked or changed expressions the whole time he was talking to me. I can't wait to tell Mary Ann about him...'_

"Oh my God…Mary Ann! I can't believe I almost forgot! I don't even know what time she will show up." Serenity ran down the slippery street, trying not to fall and break her neck.

The sky had just begun to show traces of the sun on the horizon. Serenity ran through town as quickly as possible. As she neared her apartment building she saw two figures standing at the gate. One she could easily identify as Mary Ann…her curvy figure stood out in a crowd even in a rain coat and the very large man standing next to her would more than likely be the millionaire she had married.

"Mary Ann!" Serenity yelled as she ran towards them. "I'm so sorry! I fell asleep up on the cliff and you won't believe who I met!" She ran up and hugged her previous counselor and looked over her shoulder at the man accompanying her. Who was studying her intently "Oh god, is this your body guard?" She joked. "Actually, he resembles the guy I just met."

Mary Ann began her introduction, "This is my husband, Manolito De La Cruz ..." but he cut her off in mid sentence.

"Who did you meet?" he asked abruptly.

"Hey! That was rude! You don't scare me M_ister…_so don't look at me like that. I was going to tell Mary Ann anyway." Her look of annoyance said a mouthful.

"Anyway..." she turned back to Mary Ann who looked thoroughly amused."Let's go in and catch up."

As they entered the tiny studio, Serenity plopped down on some cushions on the floor. "You guys can sit on the bed." She was suddenly extremely aware of her living conditions and her own appearance. Compared to Mary Ann's fashionable clothing and her husband's elegant attire, she felt shabby. Mary Ann and Manolito moved quietly across the room and she seated herself on the small bed. Manolito stood by her side.

Using a mental connection Mary Ann spoke to her life mate. _"My goodness this room is so bare. She has so little. I know she will be so happy when we get her back to the ranch." _

They had discussed the arrangements with Zacharias before leaving home. He, the oldest of the brothers, not to mention the head of the household had agreed with Mary Ann that it was best for Serenity to come back and live with them. Before they arrived at Serenity's apartment they had started arrangements with the agency for her to go back with them. It was not a difficult accomplishment due to Manolito's gift of "persuasion".

_"Yes, of course my dear, but please push to find out who this person is that she met. I can sense another Carpathian was near her."_

Mary Ann continued cheerfully. "So sweetheart who did you meet this morning? You seemed very excited to tell me when you got here?"

"Oh, him. Well, this strange man appeared out of the blue and told me he's my uncle. He was Roman no wait he was Romanian, so his name was… Ramos no that's not right…., anyway, he said he knew my family. I didn't believe him at first but he knew the state I was left in as a baby and the name he called me, Shiya; Shiya Paridisa. The name seemed so familiar."

"What did you say his name was?" questioned Manolito.

Serenity turned to glare at him, already not liking his irritating authoritative attitude. "It was, shit! It was Ruslan something!"

"Malinov?" Manolito said questioningly.

"Yes. That's it. Do you know him?"

Mary Ann let out an audible gasp…_"I thought they had all turned." S_he looked at Manolito with worry. She knew how close the brothers had been. She had seen in her husband's memories. As far as he knew and to everyone else's knowledge, they had all turned while the De La Cruz brothers had held firm against it.

"Tell us what he said little one." Manolito gave a small push at her mind.

"He said the same thing!" she frowned at the buzzing going on in her head.

"Said what?"

"Little one…he called me little one too."

"They say that a lot, you get used to it." Mary Ann said with a slight smile. "But tell us what happened exactly."

After explaining everything that had happened that morning and all that had happened within the last month, the sun was peeking through the one window she had in her tiny room. Serenity was beginning to feel the effects of sleep loss and the lack of food. She went to search her pantry for the special tea her mother, Lisa, had created for her and taught her how to make.

"We should probably head out darling. We are pretty tired from the trip but we will be back this evening after we rest. Do you need anything until then?" Mary Ann peered into the empty pantry.

"No thank you, I think I'm going to have some tea and get some sleep too I haven't really slept well the last few nights"

"Alright well see you tonight sweetheart." Mary Ann shut the door to leave.

_"Manolito, do you think Serenity is actually the daughter of one of the Malinov's?"_

_"There is no doubt she resembles Ivory in everything but hair and eye color." _Manolito said while relaying information to his older brother, Zacharias.

Mary Ann could feel the sadness at the mention of Ivory. The family had all cared for her as though she were their own sister and still felt her death as sharply as if it had just happened.

_"Bring her back where we can watch over her, she could be the life mate to one of the hunters." _

Zacharias' voice was commanding, even mentally. There was no question that whatever he said would be done without question.


	4. Chapter 4

_Baby_

_I was naive,  
Got lost in your eyes  
And never really had a chance  
My mistake, I didn't wanna be in love  
You had to fight to have the upper hand  
I had so many dreams  
About you and me  
Happy endings  
Now I know_

_I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale  
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet,  
Lead her up the stairwell  
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town,  
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down  
Now it's too late for you  
And your white horse, to come around_

_And there you are on _

"Serenity, you still alive back there? " Maryann jokingly asked while looking at her new ward in the back seat.

Serenity had been unusually quiet the entire trip. Not only had she fallen asleep on the jet to Brazil (during the day no less) but she promptly turned on the mp3 player and pumped up the volume once they were in the car after landing. She knew from day one that she couldn't stand Manolito, no matter how much Maryann loved him. She already despised any type of authority figure but he was a totally new level of bossy. Out of defiance she wore her favorite pink Happy Bunny shirt. The part she liked most about the shirt was the saying, "I'm not listening". To top that off she put on an old shredded pair of bleached out jeans. She had noticed his grimace when she started folding them to pack in her suitcase.

When they went out the following evening after meeting each other at her little apartment, Maryann had mentioned how long Serenity's hair had grown and Manolito expanded on her comment with, 'it's nice to see a young woman refraining from chopping their hair like a boy for once. The color is very lovely as well.' That night she cut her hair in a very short, spunky style. She knew that it wouldn't take very long to grow back twice the length but, she hesitated on a decision to dye her hair since her mother Lisa had loved it so much. Later that night, as a result of her frustration, she bought a temporary jet black dye and put it on her hair as a defiant 'up yours' to Manolito. It was worth the effort even though all he did was raise his eyebrows although Maryann was thoroughly unhappy with the change and Serenity's lack of fashion sense.

"Yeah just listening to music and watching the scenery." Serenity responded.

Manolito never missed an opportunity to chime in, especially since he had been able to hear every detail of every nauseous song, if it could have been considered music, since they had begun their trip. "You are going to destroy your hearing with the volume so insidiously earsplitting. "

Serenity promptly turned the music back up several notches and watched him wince in pain with a smile intense satisfaction.

_your knees,  
Begging for forgiveness, begging for me  
Just like I always wanted but I'm sooo sorry_

Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale

"Do you get the feeling she doesn't like you very much? " MaryAnn taunted Manolito with a smile.

"I believe I overheard her inquiring as to the location of my club on the way to the airport adding an inference to 'caveman' while coughing loudly." Manolito growled with the hint of a smile.

Maryann hiccupped loudly and the humor of it all sent her into a fit of laughter.

Once they reached the main ranch house Serenity felt like she would never see civilization again. The trip took forever and she lost count of all the cattle guards on the way to the property.

"So…, there are other kids here? " Asked Serenity while glancing around warily. Since arriving on the property she had sensed a strong, menacing presence. Someone had been watching her. She would bet her life on it. A flushed, tingling sensation had been spreading non-stop since they had gotten close to the ranch; not as strong as the feeling she had before the murder of her foster family but definitely stronger than when she met her uncle Ruslan.

Zacharias De la Cruz had been following their car in the form of a panther since they had gotten near their property. He watched the young woman sitting in the back with detached curiosity. She had stared out the window quietly while listening to her music during the entire trip. He observed her obvious displeasure as she looked around the property when they arrived at the main house. Her pouty expression made it obvious that she wasn't happy to be there.

Suddenly, she spoke and his breath caught in his chest. Vibrant colors exploded around him, overwhelming his senses. He had seen everything in monotone for so many centuries that he had forgotten how beautiful the night could actually be. As he continued to stare at this young woman he saw that she seemed unusually disturbed by something. She looked in his direction without actually seeing him but her eyes fixed on the darkness around him. The vision of a youthful Ivory stood before him. Most stunning were her eyes. They reminded him of days long past when he was still able to tolerate the early morning sun; her eyes faded to a paler shade of blue in the middle and became a golden yellow around the iris.

His concentration was interrupted by the sound of Ginny's voice as she ran down the porch steps to greet the new girl. Zacharias smiled as he realized, that this is his lifemate. This word, 'lifemate' was something he never thought he would be able to use. He smiles in triumph as he says quietly…,  
"My lifemate".


	5. Update

Thought I would warn everyone that I am back. Sorry it has taken so long I have been in and out of the hospital no energy for much. But I am currently working on a new chapter to the story so during my moments of energy I will be working on it.

Until then I thought I would share the lyrics to this song I just heard that seemed perfect as a tribute to Carpathian males without life mates.

The song is called Monochrome composed by Yoko Kanno you can find it on Youtube.

**Monochrome**

Where all the colors are  
Ocean  
The silent ocean knows  
Your face  
Your reality

Haven't been the same lately  
Wonder could it be a lack of devotion?

Seeing in monochrome  
Who taught you emotions  
Who taught you emotions

Feel  
Can you feel  
Might be why colors disappear

The place we call our soul  
Ocean  
The cyber ocean sees  
Your dreams  
Your totality

Nothing stays the same  
Someday  
I hope you will make more lasting connections

Feeling in monochrome  
Who taught you emotions  
Who taught you emotions

See  
Can you see  
Colors that the ocean offers

Be  
Can you be  
Something more than black, white and gray

Being in monochrome  
Who taught you emotions  
Who taught you emotions..."


	6. Chapter 5

"_Wake up … wake up … you need to wake up now"…_Serenity twirled through thick layers of fog to wake up…, unsure and questioning the need to do so.

When they arrived it had been very late, possibly early morning but the family appeared to be wide awake. Serenity decided to stay up until just before sunrise with them. Most of the family gave her a strange, disquieting, hair standing on the back of the neck sensation, except Ginny, younger sister to Colby. Now, for some reason Serenity felt that Mary Ann was leaving her out of something very important and she was no longer on equal footing with her long-time friend. On several occasions Serenity had caught agitated, even excited glances from the "parents" as they called themselves. She chose to sit near Ginny who seemed to be her own age and seemed to be genuinely pleased to have Serenity as her new companion.

After fighting the urge to fall back to sleep Serenity took a quick assessment of her new surroundings. The bed was unquestionably the reason she was have trouble waking up. It was without a doubt the comfiest bed she could ever recall being in, even when she lived with the Mathews. The large room wasn't completely bare but thankfully it was just waiting for her finishing touches to be added. On the night stand sat a stuffed panther or was it a black cat? She didn't remember seeing it when she crashed a little before daylight that morning.

Her head began to clear and the cobwebs vanished as she remembered clearly the lecture she received when Zacharias, Mary Ann's older brother in law arrived. The rules consisted of…, "even though the property is large, _do not wonder away_ from the main ranch house under any condition without an escort, and never leave the property at night unless one of us is with you!" Serenity mimicked his voice under her breath.

_Well if I actually abide by his rules, there goes seeing that gorgeous waterfall that was on Google's website._

"Gah, it's eleven a.m., I've only been asleep for four hours!" Serenity moaned after taking a quick look at her watch. Oh well, I m_ight as well take a look around…_

"_Help…"_

Startled, Serenity looked around to see where the agitated whisper had come from. _I must be loosing my mind… did I even hear anything?_

The house was eerily silent as she made her way downstairs. Suddenly a noise came from the kitchen and Serenity squealed as she jumped back against the wall in alarm. After she calmed down she laughed at herself, she listened to see if she had woke anyone and then made her way towards the room where the sound had come from.

Walking into the kitchen slowly she watched as a woman put away groceries. Clearing her throat, Serenity hoped to let the woman know of her presence without scaring her. She obviously didn't know she had company in the room.

"O! Hola…, você está acordado…Senior De La Cruz disse que você dormiria a maioria do dia." The woman babbled away in her native tongue looking around the room rather uncomfortably.

"Um… no habla …" Serenity answered while thinking to herself…, _I knew I should've taken Spanish but nooo, I just had to learn French!_

"Oh… I am sorry Miss. Mister De La Cruz said you were up late and would sleep most of the day…" She seemed concerned as she looked down at her watch "My name is Bianca, uh…, would you like something to eat?" Bianca said, already reaching for the refrigerator.

_Go back to sleep…_

"Thanks for asking but I think I'm going back to sleep for a little while. I didn't realize it was still so early. Strange that it is so dark outside this time of day."

"Yes we have a lot of rain here; some of the men are out getting the ranch ready. There is to be a really bad storm later in the day."

"Bad storm?" Serenity squeaked. "Yep, I'm going back to bed!" She waved as she left the kitchen and headed back towards her new bedroom. _It's not like I'm a baby or anything. I'm not afraid of thunder…, but I know what lightning can do." _She shivered unconsciously as she looked up the wide, curving staircase leading to the darkened hallway above.

She was feeling uneasy…, as though she should be somewhere else. An overpowering need to go back to sleep was almost as powerful as her desire to flee from the ranch house. Something or someone was calling to her. She was starting to feel terror but it wasn't her own. The atmosphere seemed thick with terror. How could anyone sleep through the tension? Couldn't they feel the unease?

When she reached the top of the staircase, Serenity ran headlong into someone in the dark hallway. As she quickly backed away, cold fingers grab at her wrist and nails sliced through her flesh as it was torn from her hand.

Sorry it was short but I wanted to post something soon to show I am trying to work on it. : ) And this seemed like a good place to stop for the chapter.


	7. Chapter 6

Soooooo are you guys ready for Ch. 5's cliffhanger to finally be over?

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Screams of terror erupted from the two girls in the sleeping house as Serenity fell backwards down the stairs. Ginny grabbed frantically for her outstretched hand, but this time she pulled back empty air.

Serenity twisted in mid air trying to protect her head as she plummeted down the long flight of stairs but soon realized as her head hit the corner of the last step, that she had been unsuccessful. When she finally stopped rolling at the bottom of the stairs, Serenity realized that she could hear Ginny yelling in the distance. Confused thoughts crowded her foggy grey matter as her new friend wailed in fear.

Ginny raced down the stairs toward Serenity after hearing the final thud of her head hitting the tile at the bottom of the stairs. Ginny began screaming again for help as blood began to pool and mix with Serenity's hair on the cold gleaming tile below.

Bianca dropped everything when she heard the girl's screams and was beside them within seconds. "Bianca is it really bad…, what do we do? Is my sister home or one of my uncles?" Ginny blasted question after question at the maid and started to panic at the color Serenity's skin was turning.

"Correr Ginny!" Find help…, they are probably in the barn. She needs help quickly Nina."

Serenity opened her eyes to a world of gray and mist. Within the silence whispers drifted in and out that she could not understand but the occasional sound of wailing and crying was unmistakable.

She looked around the area then at herself, startled by the brightness of her skin color against the monotone color of grays in the woods around her.

"Hello?" she called out tentively, "Ginny…, Bianca?"

"_Help us…" _A disembodied voice spoke, as if it was only in her mind.

"Who's there? Where are you?"

"_You must help us now…." _This time she could tell the voice was male

"How can I help you? Who is 'us'?"

"_We have been trapped here like you…, for so long. You can help us return."_

"Where are you, what is this place?" she looked around at the ever darkening world around her, the trees began to look more and more imposing and loomed around her.

"_It is a scary place isn't it little one? We have been trapped here for more years than we can remember, unable to find our way out. You and you alone can help us get back home. You must follow the path to your left. We will meet you soon and all of us will get out of this … nightmare together! Hurry now child!"_

"Why do you think I can get us out if you have been trying for so long?"

"_You are still partially connected to the outside world. You still have color compared to this world!"_

Serenity peered into the woods. She needed to find them even if it was for the comfort in numbers. As the mist rose higher around her legs and the trees became almost invisible around her, Serenity slowly began walking down the path to her left - toward her mysterious companions.


	8. Chapter 7

As soon as the sun set Zacharias appeared behind Bianca. "How did this happen?"

The doctor that had been more or less dragged to the ranch that afternoon looked up from his post next to Serenity's bed, startled by the sudden appearance of the oldest De La Cruz brother.

"She…, she fell señor. She came downstairs mid-day and I spoke with her for a moment in the kitchen. She was going back to bed but I heard she and Ginny scream only a moment later. Ginny … she said she scared the girl on accident at the top of the stairs and tried to grab her but missed and scratched her instead." Bianca stuttered and stumbled with her words, for the first time feeling fear standing next to Zacharias.

"Where is Ginny?" Zacharias snaps while moving to the other side of Serenity's bed.

"She hides in her room crying señor. Por favor…, la Niña did not mean to cause this." Bianca had never seen Zacharias angry before and felt compelled to protect the child from taking responsibility for Serenity's accident.

Zacharias sighed while running his hand through his hair. "I know Bianca, thank you for taking care of her. Please make sure Ginny is okay."

Although he already knew his lifemate's condition after a quick internal assessment, he turned his attention to the physician sitting by her bed. "How is she?"

"The wound was not that extensive Señor De La Cruz. I sutured the injury to her scalp but she has remained unconscious and unresponsive. I told your staff that it would be best to take her in to the hospital where I can run tests but they refused. I believe you will be more understanding and realize that valuable time has been lost waiting here. We must take her in now!" His self implied superior knowledge in comparison to the De La Cruz workers incompetence made him angry once again. He had wasted valuable time as a result of the men taking him from his patients at the clinic and consequently been forced into a long vigil at the ranch. Only the knowledge that it would not go well for him if he left and the young girl died kept him from leaving since she was a guest in the home of one of the most powerful families in Brazil.

Zacharias read the impatience in the doctor's voice and replied calmly and politely, "I thank you for your valuable time away from your place of business in an attempt to take care of our guest but I will watch Serenity myself for a few more hours and decide whether to follow your advice."

Bianca came back into the doorway with a sniffling Ginny by her side. "Bianca, please show the good doctor downstairs. My brother will be happy to provide transportation back to town and see to any cost that you feel is adequate for the time you have spent here." With that said, Zacharias directed the doctor to the door and Bianca touched his elbow to show him out. He shrugged her hand off visibly and walked quickly into the hall.

Zacharias directed Ginny with his hand to take a seat where the doctor had been sitting and walked swiftly to the bedside near Serenity. He stood looking down at her small pale figure beneath the sheets, almost forgetting Ginny's presence until she started to sob again.

"I am so sorry Uncle Zacharias… I didn't mean to … I am so sorry!" As she started talking she began sobbing harder and shaking her head while biting her nails. Within moments Rafael appeared beside her and Colby stood in the doorway obviously instructed to stay back.

Zacharias glanced at Ginny, "It is okay little one. It is an accident that could easily happen to anyone…, however, I may consider adding a lift after this day is over." He smiled slightly trying to lighten the girl's mind but succeeded in shocking her and his brother with his small attempt at humor.

"Will she be ok? Bianca said she is in a coma…"

"She will be just fine once she finds her way back to us." He replied more as a comforting hope to himself.

"Ginny let us go and help Bianca with dinner. She is very far behind with everything that has happened." Colby suggested while helping her from the chair.

The room stayed quiet for a short time after the girls left but eventually, Rafael and Zacharias looked over the bed at each other.

"Her spirit is not within her. It is seems further gone then Manolito's spirit was when he was poisoned." Rafael stated bluntly.

"If you believe her spirit has already crossed over, I will follow the same path and bring her back." Zacharias replied without looking up from Serenity's face and inspected the pale gold roots that were already showing beneath the black hair dye. To himself he muttered, "Why would she do something as silly as this?" then sighed audibly.

"You cannot do so my brother! Only a few healers, not excluding Mary Ann, have been able to visit the shadow world on their own accord."

"Do you not think me as capable to follow my lifemate into the next world and bring her back?" This time he looked up quickly with a challenge in his eyes.

"You know it is not that, but our brother's spirit was still partially in this world, and Serenity's body is just a shell right now. There is not even the tiniest thread of spirit to follow. We can only hope she can find her way back on her own"


	9. Happy Hallows Eve

Hoping everyone is still liking Dark Angel my mind is back on it, sorry for the long wait in-between feel free to tell me any suggestions or ideas.

Thought I would give you all a Happy All Hallows Eve and a joke I thought would hit some people's funny bones.

A vampire bat came flapping in from the night covered in fresh blood and parked himself on the roof of the cave to get some sleep.

Pretty soon all the other bats smelled the blood and began pestering him about where he got it.

He told them to knock it off and let him get some sleep but they persisted until finally he gave in.

"OK, follow me," he said and flew out of the cave with hundreds of  
bats behind him.

Down through a valley they went, across a river and into a forest  
full of trees.

Finally he slowed down and all the other bats excitedly milled around  
him.

"Now, do you see that tree over there?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, yes!" the bats all screamed in a frenzy.

"Good," said the first bat, "Because I DIDN'T!"


End file.
